in any em loymant—steady attention to Industry is defined as habitual diligence business. In this age of the world, industry is one of the most highly prized among the virtues, and it is one which invariably commands respect. When Mr. Burlingame, in the capacity of Envoy of China to the chief foreign nations of the West, made the speech in New York, which attracted so much attention to singular mission, he said to the merchants who gave him a banquet, speaking of the Chinese, "I say it is a great people; it is a polite people; it is a patient people; it is a sober people; it is an industrious people.' In the last predicate, at least, Mr. Burlingame was unquestionably accurate; the Chinese are prominently an industrious people. The industry of a people, speaking roughly, may be said to unite the three dimensions of length, breadth and thickness; or, to use a different expression, it may be said to have two qualities of extension, and one of intension, By the quality of length, we mean the amount of time during which the industry is exercised. By the quality of breadth, we mean the number of persons to whom the predicate of industrious may be fairly applied. By intension, we mean the amount. of energy which is' displayed in the ' habitual diligence', and in steady attention to business.' The aggregate result will be the product of these three factors. It is by no means always the ase, that the impressions of the casual traveller, and those of the old resident are In the horizon of the Chinese agriculturist, the same, but there can be little doubt, that casual travellers, and residents of the there are always clouds, more or less dense, and not one of them does not need vigorous longest, standing, will agree in a profound shoveing. conviction of the diligence of the Chinese That which is true of the farmer class, is people. The very first glance which a new. true with still greater emphasis of the mere comet gets of the Chinese, induces him labourer, who is driven by the constant think that this people is carrying out in so-and chronic re-appearance of the wolf at cin} affairs, the maxim which John Wesley his.door; to spend his life in an everlasting named as the rule for a sucetssttll ehttrch grind. As the farmer bestows the most. "all at it, attd always at it." Tdleness in painstaking thought arid care upon every Chitia is not tonspicotis. Every ati seems Separate stalk of cabbage, picking off care-to be doing sontething. There are of course, fully each minute insect, thus at last tiring plenty of wealthy persons, albeit a mere out the ceaseless swarms by his own greater microscopic fraction of the whole commu-perseverance, so does the labourer watch nity, who can abundantly live without doing any work, but their life is not or-{Tor the most insignificant opportunity for a job, that he may have something for his dirianly of a kind which is externally visible stomach and for his back, and for other to the foreigner. Wealthy people in China stomachs and backs that are wholly depen-do not commonly retire from business, but dant upon him, Those who have occasion devote themselves to it with the same kind to travel where cart-roads exist, will often and degree of attention, as when they were be obliged to rise soon after midnight, and pursue their journey, for such, they are 'Scholars, Farmers, Workmen, and Mer-peer 'The Chinese classify themselves as told, is the custom. But no matter at chants. ' Let us glance at each of these sub-what hour I is on the way, there' are divisions of Society, and see what they have small bodies of peasants patrolling the to say for the industry of the people. It is roads, with fork in hund and basket on exceedingly diftivult for Occidentals to enter their' backs, watching for opporttinitles. syntpathetically into such a scheme of educa-to collect. alittle manure. When there tion as that of the Chinese. Its gross deis no other work pressing, this is an fects are not likely to be overlooked, but one invariable and an inexhaustible resource, feature of it is adapted to thrust itself'on It is by no means uncommon to see those the attention, at all times—it has no real who are hard pressed to find the means of rewards, except for diligence. The many support, following two different lines of back doors which are always open to those occupation, which dovetail into each other. who have the money to purchase degrees, Thus the boatmen of Tientain, whose busi would seem well calculated to dampen the ardor of any student, but such is not the eas is spoiled by the closing of the river, take to the swift ice-sled, by which mea in effect of the sale of office. The comis ravinees, that it is possible to be transported rapidly, minimum cost, In the same way, the moat there are far more eligible candid of the rural population of some districts for every position, than there are posi spend all the time which can be spared from tions to be filled. All the examination endes of farm work, in making hats seem to be perpetually crowded, and the halls, from the lowest to the highest, or in plaiting the braid, now so large an
number of those who compete in any article of export... Chinese women generally are often seen with a shoo-sole in their han ingle prefecture often rises to above ten on which they are perpetually taking thousand. When we consider the amount stitches, even while talking gossip at the of mental toil which the mere entran: entrance of their alleys, or perhaps it is a to any one of these examinations in reel of cotton which they are spinning. we get a vivid conception of the in-But idle they are not. tellectual industry of the Chinese, The The indefatigable activity of the classes traditional diligence of the standard heroes which have been named, is well matched by mentioned in the trimetrical classic, who that of the merchants, and their employes. studied by the light of a glow-worm, or who The life of a merchant's clerk, even in tied their books to the horns of the ox with Western lands, is not that of' one who the present day, with various degrees of which they were ploughing, is imitated at holds @ sinecure, but as compared with that of a Chinese clerk, it is comparative approximation, y thousands in all parts of idleness. For to the work of the latter, China. In many cases this industry begins there isno end. His holidays are few, and to disappear with the initial success of the his tasks heavy, though they may be i first. degree, but the Chinese do not terspersed with periods of comparative consider such an one scholar at all, but torpor. The quality of extension, of which reserve this title of honour for those who we have spoken, applies to the number keep on in the narrow and thorny those who are industrious, but it also applies path, until at length their perseverance is to the extent of time covered by that crowned with success. In what land but dustry, which as we have seen is very great. China, would it be possible to find examples But emphasis must be laid upon another of a grandfather, son and grandson, all feature of Chinese industry nut yet men-competing in the same examination for the tioned, the early and late hours which it same degree, to be rewarded at last by keeps.' The Chinese day beg itis at a dim seeing age and indomitable perseverance period, often not at a great remove from rewarded at the age of eighty years, by the long coveted honour? audiences at an hour when every Court midnight, The Emperor holds his daily If the life of the scholar in China is one in Europe is wrapped in the embrace of unremitting diligence, that of the farmer of Morpheus. To an Occidental this is not less so. The work of a farmer, like seems simply inexplicable, but to a Chi-that of a housekeeper, is never done. With nese it doubtless appears the most natural the exception of a' comparatively brief thing in the world. And the conduct period in the middle of the winter, of the Son of Heaven is imitated more throughout the northern provinces, there or less closely by the subjects of the Son never appears to be a time when there is of Heaven, in all parts of his empire. Whetherit be the copper workers of Canton, of it. Doubtless this is more or less true not, only something to do, but a great deal the tinfoil workers of Foochow, the wood: of farming everywhere, but the Chinese carvers of Ningpo, the rice-mill workers of farmer is industrious with an industry Shanghai, the cotton-cleaners and workers which it would be difficult to surpass. in the treadmill for bolting flour in the One is often reminded of the despairing northern provinces, they may all be heard incredulity of a plantation negro, to whom late at night, and at a preposterous hour in some one had been describing heaven as a the morning. Long before daylight, the place of rest—even for the blacks. To this, traveller comes upon a countryman' who he made the not unnatural reply, 'You has already reached a distance of many can't make dis nigger believe dat,' of dey miles from his home, where he is posted in can't find nuffin else for de pore rs to do, dey'l jest make em sub de clouds along!" the darkness, waiting for the comin of daylight, when he will begin the sale of his
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.